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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — a path
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com